Alison Kervin OBE

Alison has spent forty years inside elite sport, sitting across the table from the people who win World Cups, lift Olympic golds and rebuild teams that nobody thought could come back.

Three hundred interviews with the greatest athletes on earth.

Forty books.

Eight years editing the sports section of a national newspaper.

An OBE in 2017 for a five-year campaign that changed how British sport handles concussion.

What she discovered, across all of it, is that the people who win at the very top of sport are not made differently. They have learned a code. The Elite Code is what they taught her, and what she now teaches to leaders, teams and women in business.

The career behind the work

Alison became the first woman to edit the sports section of a national newspaper in 2013, when she took over the Mail on Sunday and ran it for eight years. Before that, she was rugby editor at The Times, chief sports interviewer at The Daily Telegraph, and editor of Rugby World, the biggest-selling rugby magazine in the world.

She has interviewed Sean Connery, Prince Edward, Nick Faldo, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Martin Johnson, Kelly Holmes, Denise Lewis, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Jonny Wilkinson and Stuart Broad, among hundreds of others.

In 1991, she became the first woman to referee a rugby match at Twickenham.

She holds coaching qualifications in ten sports, was once part of the England gymnastics squad, and sits on the judging panels for the BAFTAs, BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the Laureus International Sports Awards.

She also writes novels under the name Bernice Bloom..

Today

Alongside her keynote work, Alison runs Gold Medals Media, the consultancy that helps organisations turn their stories into something the world wants to listen to. She speaks internationally on leadership, elite performance, women's leadership and media insight, drawing on four decades of conversations with the people who actually did it. She also runs the British Academy of Writing.

What people say

"She has done as much for battling females as any woman since Boadicea." The Spectator

"Truly groundbreaking. She became a role model for women working in a historically male-dominated environment." Sir Clive Woodward, World Cup-winning coach

"Her work has helped break the gender barrier for women on the field of play and in administration." Lord Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics

"Sports and journalism are very difficult areas for women. To champion both is amazing. Bravo." Baroness Brady

"I'm thrilled Alison's achievement in being the first female sports editor of a national newspaper has been recognised. I hope it encourages many more women into sports journalism." Clare Balding

Book Alison for your event

Alison speaks internationally on leadership, high performance, and the lessons of 40 years in elite sport. The first conversation is always free.

Email: ak@alisonkervin.co.uk Telephone: 07880 505607

→ Book a 15-minute introductory call

Background:

Alison Kervin became the first female sports editor of a national newspaper when she took over the reins at the Mail on Sunday newspaper in 2013. She ran the sports desk for eight years, and was awarded an OBE in the 2017 New Year's Honours list for her achievements, most notably her concussion campaign, which ran for five years, pressuring the authorities and sports’ governing bodies into taking head injuries seriously. 

“Sports and journalism are very difficult areas for women to achieve success in — and to champion both is amazing. Bravo.” Baroness Brady, West Ham vice-chair

Before her editing job, Alison worked as Chief Sports Feature Writer for The Times, Chief Sports Interviewer for the Daily Telegraph and editor of Rugby World magazine.

“Alison's work on behalf of women in sport has helped break the gender barrier for women on the field of play and in administration.” Lord Sebastian Coe

She has a hugely varied sporting CV: she was in the England gymnastics squad before qualifying as a coach for no fewer than 10 sports. In 1991, she became the first woman to referee a rugby match at Twickenham.

“I've known Alison for over 20 years. She was one of the first women to write about rugby, which at the time was truly groundbreaking. I have always held her in the highest regard because she has never shied away from controversy or been afraid to speak her mind and became a role model for women working in a historically male-dominated environment.” Sir Clive Woodward, World Cup-winning coach

In 1994, she was appointed editor of Rugby World magazine. In 1997, she became publisher of IPC sports publications, overseeing Rugby World and Golf Monthly, then in 1999 she became rugby editor of The Times, before becoming the paper’s chief sports feature writer in 2003. 

“Alison is a hugely impressive figure in the sports world with a sporting pedigree few sports editors can rival. Of course, it really doesn’t matter whether The Mail on Sunday’s sports editor is a man or a woman – but I can think of no better candidate to break the mould than Alison.” Geordie Greig, editor of the Daily Mail.

As Chief Sports Features Writer, she wrote The Kervin Interview - a weekly interview series which ran for three years and featured stars ranging from Nick Faldo and Michael Owen to Prince Edward and Sean Connery. She even managed to interview Catherine Zeta-Jones by accosting her in the ladies’ toilets at a sports event in Monte Carlo.

“Alison is a trailblazer in the sports industry. Not only is she a fantastic journalist and writer, she has pushed the boundaries in becoming one of the very few female sports editors in the world.” Gabby Logan, TV presenter

Before working as a newspaper and magazine interviewer, Alison was The Times' rugby editor for two years, and prior to that she was editor of Rugby World - the biggest-selling rugby magazine in the world. Alison worked for the Rugby Football Union as the public relations manager of the England team, was the first woman presenter on Rugby Special.

“I'm thrilled Alison's achievement in being the first female sports editor of a national newspaper has been recognised and hope it encourages many more women into sports journalism.” Clare Balding, TV presenter on Alison being awarded an OBE

She also holds coaching qualifications in 10 sports, and sits on numerous judging panels including the BAFTAS, BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Laureus International Sports Awards and the Magazine Journalist and Sports Journalist of the Year Awards.

“Alison knows the job inside out and back-to-front and it's a pleasure to work for her.” Stuart Broad, England cricketer

She was Cosmopolitan magazine’s Woman of Achievement, and won Feature Writer of the Year, Interviewer of the Year and Magazine Editor of the Year.